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Indiana County
Martin County, Indiana
Shoals and East Fork White River limestone country - from Shoals' scenic position along the East Fork of the White River to Martin County's Jug Rock (a freestanding sandstone pillar rising 60 feet from the valley floor near Shoals, Jug Rock is Indiana's largest free-standing table rock formation and one of the state's most distinctive natural landmarks, drawing geology enthusiasts and hikers to this remote corner of south-central Indiana) and Hoosier National Forest tracts that cover significant portions of the county's forested uplands.
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Martin County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via martincounty.in.gov.
Sheriff: Martin County Sheriff’s Office – 318 Capital Avenue, PO Box 180, Shoals, IN 47581 | (812) 247-3726 | Fax (812) 247-2226 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Joshua Greene, Chief Deputy Keith Keller. Operates a K-9 unit and a dedicated Animal Control Officer.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-50, US-150, and US-231 serve Shoals, the county seat at the center of the county; Loogootee, on the western border, is the county’s only incorporated city.
Notes: Martin County was authorized January 20, 1820, partitioned from Dubois and Daviess counties, named for Major John T. Martin of Newport, Kentucky.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Martin County Courthouse – 220 Capitol Avenue, Shoals, IN (built 1876 of local sandstone and red brick, Greek Revival/Italianate, replacing a courthouse that burned that same year; National Register of Historic Places since 2005; served the county until 2002, now home to the Martin County Historical Museum). Shoals was the county’s ninth seat but has held the position ever since this courthouse was built.
Notes: Martin County has a genuinely unusual land-ownership profile: roughly one-third of the entire county belongs to Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, one of the largest naval installations in the world by area, and roughly a quarter belongs to Hoosier National Forest – meaning the majority of Martin County’s land is owned by the U.S. federal government.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Martin County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via martincounty.in.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Martin County Public Library (Shoals) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Martin County Historical Museum (housed in the former courthouse), and access to Hoosier National Forest lands, are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, unusual scale of federal land ownership in Martin County – well over half the county belonging to the Navy and the National Forest Service combined – is among the standout local facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Martin County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via martincounty.in.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Martin County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control – Josh Hughett, Animal Control Officer; (812) 247-3726.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Martin County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via martincounty.in.gov.
NOTES: Martin County is the fifty-second county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, unusual scale of federal land ownership in Martin County is among the standout local facts covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Martin County
Martin County is south-central Indiana’s remote limestone and sandstone hill country county – Jug Rock, the East Fork White River, and extensive Hoosier National Forest tracts define a sparsely populated county whose rugged terrain has limited large-scale agriculture while preserving some of Indiana’s most distinctive natural landscapes.
Shoals (the county seat, population ~800) is one of Indiana’s smallest county seats, serving Martin County’s scattered rural population in the forested hill country of south-central Indiana.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Martin County Assessor at 129 Main Street, Shoals, IN 47581, phone 812-247-3731. IN assessed at market value.
Courts & Legal
Martin County Circuit Court at 129 Main Street, Shoals, IN 47581, phone 812-247-3731, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
129 Main St., Shoals, IN 47581
(812) 247-3731
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
129 Main St., Shoals, IN 47581
(812) 247-3731
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Martin County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Martin County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Martin County Circuit Court 111 Main Street Annex, P.O. Box 370, Shoals, IN 47581 (812) 247-3651
Martin County is a small, rural county in southern Indiana. Its seat, Shoals, was the county’s ninth county seat; the 1876 Martin County Courthouse (Greek Revival/Italianate, National Register of Historic Places), built of local sandstone and brick, replaced a predecessor that burned the same year.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Indiana has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code – probate is governed by Indiana Code Title 29. Indiana offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where the gross probate estate (less liens, encumbrances, and funeral expenses) is $100,000 or less. Available 45 days after death. The affidavit must be signed and recorded with the county recorder’s office before a personal representative is appointed. No court filing is required.
Devolution of Real Estate Affidavit – a separate affidavit specifically for transferring real property, available 7 months after death, with no value limit on the real estate, recorded with the county recorder.
Unsupervised Administration – a simplified probate track available when the estate is solvent and all inheritors agree; fewer court appearances and filings than supervised administration.
Supervised Administration – full court oversight, used for contested, complex, or insolvent estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and for Issuance of Letters (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Appointment of Personal Representative (if intestate) with the Martin County Circuit Court.
The court reviews the will for compliance with Indiana Code § 29-1-5-3 (in writing, signed by the testator, witnessed by at least 2 credible witnesses).
The court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) appointing the personal representative.
Publish notice to creditors; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly 3 months from first publication) to file claims.
The personal representative marshals assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and distributes the estate.
File a closing statement or final accounting to formally close the estate.
What it costs
Indiana does not have a state estate or inheritance tax.
Filing fees vary by county – confirm current amounts with the Martin County Circuit Court.
Indiana has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval.
Typical timelines: Small Estate Affidavit – a minimum 45-day wait; Unsupervised Administration – roughly 6-9 months if uncontested; Supervised Administration – 9-12+ months.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
129 Main St., Shoals, IN 47581
(812) 247-2020
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
129 Main St., Shoals, IN 47581
(812) 247-3731
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Martin County Health Dept
(812) 247-2878
IN FSSA — Southwest Region
(800) 403-0864
IN Medicaid
(800) 403-0864
Good Samaritan Hospital (Vincennes)
gshosp.org
Daviess Community Hospital (Washington)
dchosp.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Martin County Health Department – confirm current contact via martincounty.in.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Shoals
Population: 10,000
Area: 337 sq mi
Established: 1820
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Martin County residents.
